Overview

Overview

New essays on the monastic life in the later middle ages show that far from being in decline, it remained rich and vibrant.

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the history of the numerous houses of monks, canons and nuns which existed in the medieval British Isles, considering them in their wider socio-cultural-economic context; historians are now questioning some of the older assumptions about monastic life in the later Middle Ages, and setting new approaches and new agenda. The present volume reflects these new trends. Its fifteen chapters assess diverse aspects of monastic history, focusing on the wide range of contacts which existed between religious communities and the laity in the later medieval British Isles, covering a range of different religious orders and houses. This period has often been considered to represent a general decline of the regular life; but on the contrary, the essays here demonstrate that there remained a rich monastic culture which, although different from that of earlier centuries, remained vibrant.

Table of Contents

IntroductionThe Social Networks of Late Medieval Welsh Monasteries - Karen StoberCistercian Hospitality in the Later Middle Ages - Julie KerrCistercians and Border Conflicts: Some Comparisons between the Experiences of Scotland and Pomerania - Emilia Jamroziak`Not a Thing for a Stranger to Enter Upon': the Selection of Monastic Superiors in Late Medieval and Tudor England - Martin HealePatronage, Prestige and Politics: the Observant Franciscans at Adare - Colmán Ó ClabaighThe Augustinian Priory of Wombridge and its Benefactors in the Later Middle Ages - Andrew AbramThe Rising Price of Piety in the Later Middle Ages - Michael HicksLooking for Medieval Nuns - Janet BurtonQuhat say ye now, my lady priores: How have ye usit your office, can ye ges?: Politics, Power and Realities of the Office of a Prioress in her Community in Late Medieval ScotlandCommunity in Late Medieval Scotland - Kimm CurranMonasteries and Secular Education in Late Medieval England - James G. Clark`Make Straight in the Desert a Highway for our God': the Carthusians and Community in Late Medieval England - Glyn CoppackEarly Franciscan Legislation and Lay Society - Jens U. RohrkastenThe Austin Friars in Late Medieval Canterbury: Negotiating Spaces - Sheila SweetinburghMonasteries in Medieval Cornwall: Mediocrity or Merit? - Nicholas OrmeMonasteries and Society in Sixteenth-Century Yorkshire: the Last Years of Roche Abbey - Claire Cross

Reviews

Add(s) immensely to our historical understanding of the ways in which the medieval monastic community, whether robust and powerful or relatively unknown, engaged with society. (...) An impressive volume telling a fascinating and vibrant story of late medieval monastic culture. JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES

A fine collection (that) will be of interest to monastic specialists and late medieval historians alike. THE RICARDIAN

The overall picture given of the relationship between religious communities and the secular world is both coherent and comprehensive. The work cannot be ignored by all who are interested in late medieval Britain. REVUE D'HISTOIRE ECCLESIASTIQUE

This is an absorbing volume and its contents will have much future application. SOUTHERN HISTORY

A very welcome collection (and) undoubtedly an important book. CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW

This collection of essays reflects the best in recent historical scholarship and gives the reader new insights into this period of monastic history. (...) All these chapters are high quality works of scholarship based on solid research, and the authors succeed in presenting their arguments in a clear and insightful manner. (...) Rather than a mere compilation of independent and unconnected essays, the editors have succeeded in producing a book which explores the richness and diversity of monastic life during this time period, especially its energy and vitality. AMERICAN BENEDICTINE REVIEW

The essays in the book have two main strengths: they cover the whole of the British Isles, and not just England; and their approach, in line with current thinking, is social and cultural rather than narrowly institutional. (...) Taken together (the essays) offer a fresh and illuminating set of perspectives on this long neglected subject. HISTORY

An interesting and authoritative text (which) deserves to be a classic text for students of this fascinating subject. SUITE101.COM, August 2008